“I think so. I can feel you and see through you–I think if you start searching like we did for the ritual site, I can tell you when you are getting closer or further away,” Allie answered immediately, and he relayed her words.
Zarethyn looked startled, “She can see through your eyes and hear us right now? She is not relying on you to tell her what we are saying?”
“Yes, she is present with me. It is difficult to describe. It does not work both ways though, I can hear her speak, here, but I cannot project myself to her, “he replied, unhappily.
Zarethyn looked impressed. “I do not know what magic that is then. It is not true telepathy if she is not relying on you to relay information.”
“Wait,” Riordan said, “let’s be logical here. If we just start driving around it could take hours to find her.”
“What do you suggest, Detective?” the Elven Captain asked.
“Let me think. He must have faked being knocked out at the cemetery, so he couldn’t have–he must have had her in the trunk of his car,” Riordan said, pacing as talked, “Yeah. He knocks her out and gets her in the trunk, then pretends to be knocked out himself. No one’s going to check the trunk of his car. He refuses the ambulance, gets sent home, and drives off with her in the car while we’re all still searching the grounds.”
“That is ingenious,” Bleidd said, “And no one would have any reason to suspect him.”
“Allie? Is that what happened?” Jess asked.
She replied slowly, “I don’t know. I turned to get in his car and everything went black, then I woke up here.”
Aloud Jess said, “She doesn’t remember if that is what happened, she said she was knocked out as she turned to get into the car.”
“He won’t be at his own place; it’s an apartment in the middle of the downtown residential district. He isn’t at the ritual site–no sheds out there.” Riordan said. “Ask her if she can hear anything–cars, kids yelling–anything.”
“No, it’s silent. I hear an owl.” Allie answered immediately again
“She says she hears an owl, but nothing else,” Jess relayed.
Riordan shook his head, then stopped suddenly snapping his fingers. “His parents’ house! He must be out at his parents. It’s been on the market since they died, but he hasn’t had any luck selling it. It’s about a half mile from the ritual site, quiet area, no neighbors for miles.”
Everyone was already moving for the door, and Jess thought to her, “Be strong my love, we are coming.”
*****************************
Allie pulled herself back from Jessilaen’s mind, only to find that she could still sense him to some degree and hear what was going on around him as a background murmur, as if it were occurring in another room.
Well crap, she thought, hoping he couldn’t still hear her, I knew this was a risk, but if this is permanent it’s going to get super annoying really quick…if this is permanent this might be more than annoying. I might have fused myself into his head forever which is going to make for some really awkward moments. If this relationship doesn’t work out–even if it does–I could find myself a little too aware of exactly what he’s thinking about someone else’s butt or…oh this could get really bad. I do not want to get a guy’s perspective on a lot of different things. And I’m sure I don’t want to know what he’s feeling all the time, or what people around him are saying all the time. Well, there’s nothing I can do about it now except hope it fades.
She rested her cheek against the concrete floor, trying to think. Okay. They are coming for me. Great. But if Zarethyn is right, then the Dark Court elves are also on their way and I’m supposed to be some kind of pay-off. That isn’t going to end well for me. So what can I do? She tried, carefully to shift her weight again.
Her shoulders were a burning agony at this point and she cursed Walters casual cruelty in binding her that way. Damn the stupid duct tape anyway! If it was rope I might be able to get my hands free–wait a minute. Tape. It’s tape. And I have a charm to remove adhesive–that should work!
She thanked the hours of frustration dealing with cleaning up secondhand books at the store that had motivated her to create the simple charm to remove adhesive residue, and quickly got the little charm in place. Within moments the tape on her arms loosened and fell away and her arms rolled forward. The sudden freedom increased the cramping exponentially, and the flood of blood returning to her numb lower arms burned. She wept unabashedly until she heard Jess’s worried voice calling her.
“Allie what is it?”
She fought to control herself and respond. “It’s nothing. I managed to free my arms, but the circulation had been restricted so it hurts. I’m fine.”
She could practically taste his worry. “We are nearly there now.”
And then the door to the shed opened, a bare bulb overhead flickering on, and in a panic Allie did the only thing she could think to do; she pretended to be unconscious. She heard the iron railing being dragged aside and heavy footsteps, and her heart raced. Walters swore and kicked her hard, but she managed to stay limp. He was leaning over pulling the loose strands of tape away when the second voice spoke, a voice she had only heard once before but would not soon forget, “What is wrong?” The Dark Elf asked, sounding annoyed.
“Nothing,” Walters growled back, “She got her arms untied, but looks like she’s still out of it.”
“I doubt it. Likely our arrival was fortuitous and she was about to escape your crude prison,” The elf said condescendingly.
“Hey I’m the one who got her here remember? And she isn’t going anywhere, her ankle’s broken,” Walters shot back.
“Really?” The elf’s voice was closer now and Allie felt rising panic. “Which one?”
“Left. Snapped it when I tackled her,” Walters sounded curious now.
“Well, then let us see how unconscious she truly is.” Without any further warning he lifted his foot and struck full force at her broken ankle. The pain was immediate and savage; Allie writhed on the floor screaming behind the gag, her cramping arms grabbing weakly at her leg. The elf laughed lightly, “She seems to be awake now.”
“You want me to re-tie her arms?” Walters asked, as if having a woman screaming on his floor was a perfectly normal occurrence. Then again, she thought, maybe for him it was. He must have been getting ready to go back on duty; he was wearing the suit she thought of as standard issue detective wear, with his gun in its shoulder holster. The Dark Court elf, without his cloak, stood over her. He was fair haired and wore a non-descript dark tunic and trousers with a knife and sword at his waist. In the doorway of the little shed stood the second elf, looking like a mirror image of the first.
“No need. She can’t do us any harm and she’s far more fun this way,” The closer elf responded. He reached down pulling the gag off, taking some of her hair, which was caught in the material’s loose knot, with it. She hardly noticed the pain, but when he reached down and picked her off the floor by her hair she cried out again, her hands clutching his wrist. She could not put any weight on her bad ankle now, and tried desperately to balance on her right foot. His emotions swirled around her, a disgustingly familiar blend of lust and satisfaction, and she couldn’t seem to block him out. He grabbed her face with his free hand. “How does it feel, little mixed blood girl, knowing that you are here now because of fools and stupidity? That your own lover left you to chase after us and let you fall right into my hands?”
He leaned forward breathing deeply along her throat and in her hair, “I can still smell him on you. But I promise you, very soon, that will change.” And he laughed again, delighted.
“Stop playing with her Ferinyth, you have plenty of time for that later,” the second elf spoke from the doorway, brisk and business like.
“But I’ve been looking forward to this,” the Dark Elf said, his free hand tracing the line along the top of her dress, just below her collarbone. She shivered. “Are you frightened?”
“Yes
,” she whispered, because it was true.
“Good,” he said smiling, and then slapped her hard across the face. She staggered, losing her one-footed balance, his hand in her hair momentarily taking all her weight. Before she could recover he released her hair, grabbing her right arm with both hands as she started to fall and breaking her wrist as easily as if it were kindling. She fell to the floor screaming. In her mind she heard Jessilaen’s voice again, but she dared not try to answer him.
“Ferinyth, let us conclude our deal with the officer first,” the second elf said again sounding bored. “The girl can wait–and do not forget I need to question her yet about what she may know of the book. She has used some of its magic, I can feel the energy here…”
“You spoil all of my sport, Daeriun,” the elf Ferinyth, complained. Allie lay on the floor, panting in pain and thinking furiously; there was very little she could do magically in this situation. Her own abilities were more about leverage and influencing small things than any direct magics. She could shield herself and protect herself from any magic they tried to use on her, because she was rather good at protective magic, but little else. And despite her success in reaching out to Jess she dared not try to use the echo-energy to power anything else she could think of from the book because she was afraid now, despite her desperate situation, of the consequences that she might create.
“You can have your sport later, “Daeriun replied firmly, “After our business is concluded.”
“It’s alright,” Walters said, his emotions making Allie feel sick. “You wanted the girl, you got her. He can do whatever he wants with her now.”
“You’re welcome to watch,” Ferinyth said. Allie’s eyes fixed on Walters’ gun and she had an inspiration; when she was young her Grandmother had taught her a little charm to keep the poachers who sometimes stalked the woods near the house from killing anything by hexing their guns. Seizing the moment, Allie used the distraction of the elves to quietly set her spell on the renegade cop’s gun, thankful that the weapon was almost all plastic. It was a little thing but it made her feel slightly better.
“You cede her to us then? You agree our alliance is made?” Daeriun pressed. He clearly wanted Walters to verbally acknowledge what he was saying. If the cop had more experience with elves, Allie thought, he’d be a lot more careful about what he said to them and how he said it.
“Sure, yeah,” Walters said. “You get her and the use of this house, and I get your help when I need it to keep the investigation off my back.”
The Dark Court elf nodded, “Then it is done.” Allie felt a ripple of energy as the spell the elf had framed set up; probably a basic geis to prevent Walters form breaking his word, even if he changed his mind later. The human killer seemed oblivious as he watched Allie try to roll over on the floor. The first elf, Ferinyth, knelt down, smiling wolfishly. and grabbed the top of her dress in both hands ripping it down the front, “Now, my turn.”
**********************************
Jessilaen was despairing as the car flew down the dark road towards the house that Detective Riordan had identified. He had tried repeatedly to get Allie to speak to him again, but after one brief response he could hear nothing more from her, although he was certain that he could feel something disturbing, something he suspected was pain. The first time he had felt it, like a ghostly aching, he had reached out to her and she had answered, telling him she had freed her arms and they hurt. The second time the shadow pain was worse and she would not answer him at all. He grew more and more afraid for her with each passing minute.
His squad’s car was following Detective Riordan, with the other squad of Elven Guard who had been at Allie’s home behind as well. Zarethyn had summoned further aid from the Outpost but they had far to travel and it was unlikely they would arrive in time to be of any help. Jess feared that they would all be too late and the thought was more frightening than anything else he could imagine. It was hard for him to believe that someone he had not even known existed a few weeks ago had become so essential to his life, but the thought of her death now was unacceptable to him.
As soon as Riordan’s car stopped in front of the house Jessilaen leaped out of the door of his own vehicle, hitting the ground running. He could hear the others shouting at him to wait but Allie’s screams echoed in the chill night air and the sound of her suffering was unbearable. He ran towards the source of the noise even as it suddenly stopped, around the dark bulk of the house, across the backyard. As soon as he saw the small building at the edge of the yard, he knew it must be the shed Allie had described and he shot towards it like an arrow, drawing his sword. A figure in the doorway turned and Jessilaen barely managed to dodge aside as the Elven mage threw a fireball at him; it coruscated as it hurtled past his head. He never slowed. The strange mage ran into the yard preparing another spell, but before he could cast it Zarethyn was there and the two mages engaged each other. Jess had crossed most of the yard by then, trusting his brother to handle the Dark Court mage and knowing he had to get to Allie.
When he was still a dozen feet from the door the murderer, Detective Walters, bolted, running towards the woods. For an instant Jessilaen hesitated, and in the next breathe the second Dark Court elf appeared, his sword reflecting electric light off its blade as it swung towards Jessilaen’s face. He brought his own blade up, deflecting the blow.
“You can fight me, Bright Knight, or you can save her, but you do not have time to do both.” The Dark Elf taunted him showing the small knife he held in his other hand, bloody to its hilt. Then he retreated, daring Jessilaen to choose whether to follow his enemy or save his love. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the flashes of color as Zarethyn continued to battle the Dark mage; the rest of the Guard could not be far behind. He lunged forward and darted into the shed without turning his back on his enemy. A moment later Natarien ran past, giving chase, with several elves from the other squad close behind.
*******************************
Zarethyn ran behind his brother into the back yard and watched as Jessilaen was nearly hit by a sorcerous fireball. He moved up as quickly as he could to engage the Dark Court mage in the center of the open space as Jess ran heedlessly towards Aliaine. The other mage was powerful and he found his own spells ineffective in breaking through the Dark Elf’s defenses, while the other’s attacks were hitting him with enough force to stagger him back. He did not think he had the ability to defeat this foe and the other members of the Guard had all run past; he began to sweat in the chill air unsure how he would win. His opponent threw an energy whip at him that caught him and knocked him off balance and he found himself flat on the ground, gasping. The strange mage walked over casually, drawing the energy for the final spell that would destroy his enemy. “You Bright Court are all the same, all weak and ruled by your concern for others,” he sneered.
Bleidd appeared from the other side of the house, hitting the mage from behind before the spell could be finished or the other elf could realize he was there. The energy of the spell backfired into the mage and the Outcast elf, knocking both to the ground and Zarethyn watched the Dark Court mage convulse with Bleidd’s dagger buried to the hilt in his back. Before either elf could get up they could hear Walters yelling, “Put the gun down Jim, don’t make me shoot you.”
Looking up they saw the two police detectives facing off across the yard, guns drawn. Riordan shook his head. “Don’t do it Rick. It’s over.”
“No, it’s not. It won’t ever be over, no matter what happens to me. I’m only one person trying to make things right. If I fail others will continue the work,” the killer said, furious, pulling the trigger on his gun with an audible click. He looked baffled when the gun misfired and even more surprised when Riordan’s bullet slammed into his chest a moment later. He fell without a sound, and his former partner was running towards him before he hit the ground.
****************************
Jess found Allie in a spreading pool of blood on the concrete floor. He
fell to his knees next to her, calling her name, and her eyes opened.
“I can’t breath,” she thought to him sounding more dazed than frightened.
“Hang on my love,” he thought back, quickly assessing her injuries. He had started to turn to call Brynneth when the healer appeared, kneeling down in the blood.
“Her lungs are punctured.” Jess said, terrified, as her eyes fluttered shut again.
Brynneth nodded, moving quickly to place his hands over the stab wounds in her sides. The healing energy flowed like water as Brynneth worked a major enchantment to heal the critical injuries. Staring at her pale face, Jess watched for any sign of success and nearly wept when she suddenly drew a full breath.
“My love?” he thought tentatively.
“It’s better. He’s healing the worst of the worst parts.” Allie replied, sounding a bit sleepy but more like herself. “They panicked when they heard the cars, and the car doors. The mage wanted to take me with them but the other one–the other one didn’t think they could get away with me so he…”
“You are safe now,” Jessilaen answered, reaching out to hold her hand as Brynneth finished his work. She turned her head towards him and he was certain he could feel her emotions now, mostly relief; it was still a strange thing and he had no idea why he was feeling what she felt but he clung to the sensations.
“Jess, I have to tell you something, something I did and I think it might have been a bad idea now, but at the time there didn’t seem to be any other way,” she looked at him, and her pale, bruised face made him weep. “Please don’t cry!” she said, alarmed.
“I can’t help it. I almost lost you and I can’t stand the thought of it, or knowing that you suffered as you did because we failed you,” he said aloud. Brynneth glanced up but stayed focused on the healing.
Murder Between the Worlds: A Between the Worlds Novel Page 24
